Method and apparatus for use of simultaneous multiple channels in the dynamic frequency selection band in wireless networks

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to wireless networks and more specifically to systems and methods for selecting available channels free of radar signals from a plurality of 5 GHz radio frequency channels. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a standalone multi-channel DFS master that includes a switch and embedded processor that are programmed to switch a 5 GHz radio transceiver to a first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, cause a beacon generator to generate a beacon in the first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, cause a radar detector to scan for the radar signal in the first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channel, and then repeat these steps for each of the other channels of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels during a single beacon transmission duty cycle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/200,764 titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE OF SIMULTANEOUSMULTIPLE CHANNELS IN THE DYNAMIC FREQUENCY SELECTION BAND IN WIRELESSNETWORKS and filed on Aug. 4, 2015, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to wireless networks and more specificallyto systems and methods for selecting available channels free ofoccupying signals from a plurality of radio frequency channels.Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems forexploiting licensed and unlicensed bands requiring radar detection anddetection of other occupying signals, such as the Dynamic FrequencySelection (DFS) channels in the Unlicensed National InformationInfrastructure (U-NII) bands, to enable additional bandwidth for 802.11ac/n and LTE in unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) networks employing awireless agility agent.

Wi-Fi networks are crucial to today's portable modern life. Wi-Fi is thepreferred network in the growing Internet-of-Things (IoT). But, thetechnology behind current Wi-Fi has changed little in the last tenyears. The Wi-Fi network and the associated unlicensed spectrum arecurrently managed in inefficient ways. For example, there is little orno coordination between individual networks and equipment from differentmanufacturers. Such networks generally employ primitive controlalgorithms that assume the network consists of “self-managed islands,” aconcept originally intended for low density and low trafficenvironments. The situation is far worse for home networks, which areassembled in completely chaotic ad hoc ways. Further, with more and moreconnected devices becoming commonplace, the net result is growingcongestion and slowed networks with unreliable connections.

Similarly, LTE-U networks operating in the same or similar unlicensedbands as 802.11ac/n Wi-Fi suffer similar congestion and unreliableconnection issues and will often create congestion problems for existingWi-Fi networks sharing the same channels. Additional bandwidth andbetter and more efficient utilization of spectrum is key to sustainingthe usefulness of wireless networks including the Wi-Fi and LTE-Unetworks in a fast growing connected world.

Devices operating in certain parts of the 5 GHz U-NII-2 band, known asthe DFS channels, require active radar detection. This function isassigned to a device capable of detecting radar known as a DFS master,which is typically an access point or router. The DFS master activelyscans the DFS channels and performs a channel availability check (CAC)and periodic in-service monitoring (ISM) after the channel availabilitycheck. The channel availability check lasts 60 seconds as required bythe FCC Part 15 Subpart E and ETSI 301 893 standards. The DFS mastersignals to the other devices in the network (typically client devices)by transmitting a DFS beacon indicating that the channel is clear ofradar. Although the access point can detect radar, wireless clientstypically cannot. Because of this, wireless clients must first passivelyscan DFS channels to detect whether a beacon is present on thatparticular channel. During a passive scan, the client device switchesthrough channels and listens for a beacon transmitted at regularintervals by the access point on an available channel.

Once a beacon is detected, the client is allowed to actively scan onthat channel. If the DFS master detects radar in that channel, the DFSmaster no longer transmits the beacon, and all client devices upon notsensing the beacon within a prescribed time must vacate the channelimmediately and remain off that channel for 30 minutes. For clientsassociated with the DFS master network, additional information in thebeacons (i.e. the channel switch announcement) can trigger a rapid andcontrolled evacuation of the channel. Normally, a DFS master device isan access point with only one radio and is able to provide DFS masterservices for just a single channel. A significant problem of thisapproach is, in the event of a radar event or a more-commonfalse-detect, the single channel must be vacated and the ability to useDFS channels is lost. This disclosure recognizes and addresses, in atleast certain embodiments, the problems with current devices fordetecting occupying signals including current DFS devices.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to wireless networks and more specificallyto systems and methods for selecting available channels free ofoccupying signals from a plurality of radio frequency channels. Thepresent invention employs a wireless agility agent to access additionalbandwidth for wireless networks, such as IEEE 802.11ac/n and LTE-Unetworks. The additional bandwidth is derived from channels that requireavoidance of channels with occupying signals. For example, additionalbandwidth is derived from special compliance channels that require radardetection, such as the DFS channels of the U-NII-2 bands, by employingmulti-channel radar detection and in-service monitoring, and activechannel selection controls.

In an embodiment, the present invention utilizes an agility agentemploying proprietary embedded radio techniques including continuousmulti-carrier spectrum monitoring, an embedded computation elementemploying proprietary real-time spectrum analysis algorithms, andproprietary signaling and control protocols to provide detection andcontinuous real-time monitoring of multiple radar types and patterns,and other signals such as interferers and measures of congestion andtraffic, across simultaneous multiple channels.

The present invention may also utilize a cloud-based computation andcontrol element, which together with the wireless agility agent forms asplit-intelligence architecture. In this architecture, the embeddedsensor information from the agility agent—such as radar detectionchannel availability check and in-service monitoring together withmeasurements of interference, traffic, identification of neighboringdevices, and other spectrum and location information—is communicated toand integrated over time within the cloud intelligence engine. Also theembedded sensor information from the agility agent may be fused withspectrum information from other agility agents distributed in space,filtered, and post-processed. The embedded sensor information from theagility agent may further be merged with other data from other sourcesto provide improvements to fundamental signal measurement and networkreliability problems such as augmented radar sensitivity, reducedfalse-detect rates, and reliable discovery of hidden nodes.

Other embodiments and various examples, scenarios and implementationsare described in more detail below. The following description and thedrawings set forth certain illustrative embodiments of thespecification. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a fewof the various ways in which the principles of the specification may beemployed. Other advantages and novel features of the embodimentsdescribed will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof the specification when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention, aswell as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be more fullyunderstood herein after as a result of a detailed description of apreferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the followingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates portions of the 5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum includingportions that require active monitoring for radar signals.

FIG. 2 illustrates how such an exemplary autonomous DFS master mayinterface with a conventional host access point, a cloud-basedintelligence engine, and client devices in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 illustrates how an exemplary autonomous DFS master in apeer-to-peer network may interface with client devices and the cloudintelligence engine independent of any access point, in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of performing a channel availability checkphase and in-service monitoring phase in a DFS scanning operation withan autonomous DFS master to make multiple DFS channels of the 5 GHz bandsimultaneously available for use according to the present inventionusing a time-division multiplexed sequential channel availability checkfollowed by continuous in-service monitoring.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of performing a channel availability checkphase and in-service monitoring phase in a DFS scanning operation withan autonomous DFS master to make multiple DFS channels of the 5 GHz bandsimultaneously available for use according to the present inventionusing a continuous sequential channel availability check followed bycontinuous in-service monitoring.

FIG. 6A illustrates a method of performing a channel availability checkphase and in-service monitoring phase in a DFS scanning operation withan autonomous DFS master to make multiple DFS channels of the 5 GHz bandsimultaneously available for use according to the present invention.

FIG. 6B illustrates an exemplary beacon transmission duty cycle and anexemplary radar detection duty cycle.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention in which theagility agent is connected to a host device and connected to a networkvia the host device.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in whichthe agility agent is connected to a host device and connected to anetwork and a cloud intelligence engine via the host device.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in whichthe agility agent is connected to a host device and connected to anetwork and a cloud intelligence engine via the host device.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method of performing a channel availability checkand in-service monitoring of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates another method of performing a channel availabilitycheck and in-service monitoring of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates another method of performing a channel availabilitycheck and in-service monitoring of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to wireless networks and more specificallyto systems and methods for selecting available channels free ofoccupying signals from a plurality of radio frequency channels. As usedherein, a channel “free” of occupying signals may include a channel withoccupying signals that are lower than a signal threshold includingsignal strength, quantity, or traffic. The present invention employs awireless agility agent to access additional bandwidth for wirelessnetworks, such as IEEE 802.11ac/n and LTE-U networks. The additionalbandwidth is derived from channels that require avoidance of occupyingsignals. For example, additional bandwidth is derived from specialcompliance channels that require radar detection—such as the DFSchannels of the U-NII-2 bands—by employing multi-channel radar detectionand in-service monitoring, and active channel selection controls. TheDFS master actively scans the DFS channels and performs a channelavailability check and periodic in-service monitoring after the channelavailability check.

FIG. 1 illustrates portions of the 5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum 101. FIG. 1shows the frequencies 102 and channels 103 that make up portions of the5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum 101. The U-NII band is an FCC regulatory domain for5-GHz wireless devices and is part of the radio frequency spectrum usedby IEEE 802.11ac/n devices and by many wireless ISPs. It operates overfour ranges. The U-NII-1 band 105 covers the 5.15-5.25 GHz range. TheU-NII-2A band 106 covers the 5.25-5.35 GHz range. The U-NII-2A band 106is subject to DFS radar detection and avoidance requirements. TheU-NII-2C band 107 covers the 5.47-5.725 GHz range. The U-NII-2C band 107is also subject to DFS radar detection and avoidance requirements. TheU-NII-3 band 109 covers the 5.725 to 5.850 GHz range. Use of the U-NII-3band 109 is restricted in some jurisdictions like the European Union andJapan.

When used in an 802.11ac/n or LTE-U wireless network, the agility agentof the present invention functions as an autonomous DFS master device.In contrast to conventional DFS master devices, the agility agent is notan access point or router, but rather is a standalone wireless deviceemploying inventive scanning techniques described herein that provideDFS scan capabilities across multiple channels, enabling one or moreaccess point devices and peer-to-peer client devices to exploitsimultaneous multiple DFS channels. The standalone autonomous DFS masterof the present invention may be incorporated into another device such asan access point, LTE-U host, base station, cell, or small cell, media orcontent streamer, speaker, television, mobile phone, mobile router,software access point device, or peer to peer device but does not itselfprovide network access to client devices. In particular, in the event ofa radar event or a false-detect, the enabled access point and clients orwireless device are able to move automatically, predictively and veryquickly to another DFS channel.

FIG. 2 provides a detailed illustration of an exemplary system of thepresent invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the agility agent 200, inthe role of an autonomous DFS master device, may control at least oneaccess point, the host access point 218, to dictate channel selectionprimarily by (a) signaling availability of one or more DFS channels bysimultaneous transmission of one or more beacon signals; (b)transmitting a listing of both the authorized available DFS channels,herein referred to as a whitelist, and the prohibited DFS channels inwhich a potential radar signal has been detected, herein referred to asa blacklist, along with control signals and a time-stamp signal, hereinreferred to as a dead-man switch timer via an associated non-DFSchannel; (c) transmitting the same signals as (b) over a wired mediumsuch as Ethernet or serial cable; and (d) receiving control,coordination and authorized and preferred channel selection guidanceinformation from the cloud intelligence engine 235. The agility agent200 sends the time-stamp signal, or dead-man switch timer, withcommunications to ensure that the access points 218, 223 do not use theinformation, including the whitelist, beyond the useful lifetime of theinformation. For example, a whitelist will only be valid for certainperiod of time. The time-stamp signal avoids using noncompliant DFSchannels by ensuring that an access point will not use the whitelistbeyond its useful lifetime. The present invention allows currentlyavailable 5 GHz access points without radar detection—which cannotoperate in the DFS channels—to operate in the DFS channels by providingthe radar detection required by the FCC or other regulatory agencies.

The host access point 218 and any other access point devices 223 undercontrol of the autonomous DFS master 200 typically have the controlagent portion 219, 224 installed within their communication stack. Thecontrol agent 219, 224 is an agent that acts under the direction of theagility agent 200 to receive information and commands from the agilityagent 200. The control agent 219, 224 acts on information from theagility agent 200. For example, the control agent 219, 224 listens forinformation like a whitelist or blacklist from the agility agent. If aradar signal is detected by the agility agent 200, the agility agent 200communicates that to the control agent 219, 224, and the control agent219, 224 acts to evacuate the channel immediately. The control agent canalso take commands from the agility agent 200. For example, the hostaccess point 218 and network access point 223 can offload DFS monitoringto the agility agent 200 as long as they can listen to the agility agent200 and take commands from the agility agent regarding available DFSchannels.

The host access point 218 is connected to a wide area network 233 andincludes an access point control agent 219 to facilitate communicationswith the agility agent 200. The access point control agent 219 includesa security module 220 and agent protocols 221 to facilitatecommunication with the agility agent 200, and swarm communicationprotocols 222 to facilitate communications between agility agents,access points, client devices, and other devices in the network. Theagility agent 200 connects to the cloud intelligence engine 235 via thehost access point 218 and the wide area network 233. The access pointsets up a secure tunnel to communicate with the cloud intelligenceengine 235 through, for example, an encrypted control API in the hostaccess point 218. The agility agent 200 transmits information to thecloud intelligence engine 235 such as whitelists, blacklists, stateinformation, location information, time signals, scan lists (forexample, showing neighboring access points), congestion (for example,number and type of re-try packets), and traffic information. The cloudintelligence engine 235 communicates information to the agility agent200 via the secure communications tunnel such as access point location(including neighboring access points), access point/cluster currentstate and history, statistics (including traffic, congestion, andthroughput), whitelists, blacklists, authentication information,associated client information, and regional and regulatory information.The agility agent 200 uses the information from the cloud intelligenceengine 235 to control the access points and other network devices.

The agility agent 200 may communicate via wired connections orwirelessly with the other network components. In the illustratedexample, the agility agent 200 includes a primary radio 215 and asecondary radio 216. The primary radio 215 is for DFS and radardetection and is typically a 5 GHz radio. The agility agent 200 mayreceive radar signals, traffic information, and/or congestioninformation through the primary radio 215. And the agility agent 200 maytransmit information such as DFS beacons via the primary radio 215. Thesecond radio 216 is a secondary radio for sending control signals toother devices in the network and is typically a 2.4 GHz radio. Theagility agent 200 may receive information such as network traffic,congestion, and/or control signals with the secondary radio 216. And theagility agent 200 may transmit information such as control signals withthe secondary radio 216. The primary radio 215 is connected to a fastchannel switching generator 217 that includes a switch and allows theprimary radio 215 to switch rapidly between a radar detector 211 andbeacon generator 212. The channel switching generator 217 allows theradar detector 211 to switch sufficiently fast to appear to be onmultiple channels at a time.

In one embodiment, a standalone multi-channel DFS master includes abeacon generator 212 to generate a beacon in each of a plurality of 5GHz radio channels, a radar detector 211 to scan for a radar signal ineach of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, a 5 GHz radio transceiver215 to transmit the beacon in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radiochannels and to receive the radar signal in each of the plurality of 5GHz radio channels, and a fast channel switching generator 217 coupledto the radar detector, the beacon generator, and the 5 GHz radiotransceiver. The fast channel switching generator 217 switches the 5 GHzradio to a first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels andthen causes the beacon generator 212 to generate the beacon in the firstchannel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels. Then the fast channelswitching generator 217 causes the radar detector 211 to scan for theradar signal in the first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radiochannels. The fast channel switching generator 217 then repeats thesesteps for each other channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channelsduring a beacon transmission duty cycle and, in some examples, during aradar detection duty cycle. The beacon transmission duty cycle is thetime between successive beacon transmissions on a given channel and theradar detection duty cycle which is the time between successive scans ona given channel. Because the agility agent 200 cycles between beaconingand scanning in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels in thetime window between a first beaconing and scanning in a given channeland a subsequent beaconing and scanning the same channel, it can provideeffectively simultaneous beaconing and scanning for multiple channels.

The agility agent 200 also may contain a Bluetooth radio 214 and an802.15.4 radio 213 for communicating with other devices in the network.The agility agent 200 may include various radio protocols 208 tofacilitate communication via the included radio devices.

The agility agent 200 may also include a location module 209 togeolocate or otherwise determine the location of the agility agent 200.As shown in FIG. 2, the agility agent 200 may include a scan andsignaling module 210. The agility agent 200 includes embedded memory202, including for example flash storage 201, and an embedded processor203. The cloud agent 204 in the agility agent 200 facilitatesaggregation of information from the cloud agent 204 through the cloudand includes swarm communication protocols 205 to facilitatecommunications between agility agents, access points, client devices,and other devices in the network. The cloud agent 204 also includes asecurity module 206 to protect and secure the agility agent's 200 cloudcommunications as well as agent protocols 207 to facilitatecommunication with the access point control agents 219, 224.

As shown in FIG. 2, the agility agent 200 may control other accesspoints, for example networked access point 223, in addition to the hostaccess point 218. The agility agent 200 may communicate with the otheraccess points 223 via a wired or wireless connection 236, 237. The otheraccess points 223 include an access point control agent 224 tofacilitate communication with the agility agent 200 and other accesspoints. The access point control agent 224 includes a security module225, agent protocols 226 and swarm communication protocols 227 tofacilitate communications with other agents (including other accesspoints and client devices) on the network.

The cloud intelligence engine 235 includes a database 248 and memory 249for storing information from the agility agent 200, other agility agents(not shown) connected to the intelligence engine 235, and external datasources (not shown). The database 248 and memory 249 allow the cloudintelligence engine 235 to store information over months and yearsreceived from agility agents and external data sources.

The cloud intelligence engine 235 also includes processors 250 toperform the cloud intelligence operations described herein. The roamingand guest agents manager 238 in the cloud intelligence engine 235provides optimized connection information for devices connected toagility agents that are roaming from one access point to other or fromone access point to another network. The roaming and guest agentsmanager 238 also manages guest connections to networks for agilityagents connected to the cloud intelligence engine 235. The external datafusion engine 239 provides for integration and fusion of informationfrom agility agents with information from external data sources forexample GIS information, other geographical information, FCC informationregarding the location of radar transmitters, FCC blacklist information,NOAA databases, DOD information regarding radar transmitters, and DODrequests to avoid transmission in DFS channels for a given location. Thecloud intelligence engine 235 further includes an authenticationinterface 240 for authentication of received communications and forauthenticating devices and users. The radar detection compute engine 241aggregates radar information from agility agents and external datasources and computes the location of radar transmitters from those datato, among other things, facilitate identification of false positiveradar detections or hidden nodes and hidden radar. The radar detectioncompute engine 241 may also guide or steer multiple agility agents todynamically adapt detection parameters and/or methods to further improvedetection sensitivity. The location compute and agents manager 242determines the location the agility agent 200 and other connecteddevices through Wi-Fi lookup in a Wi-Fi location database, queryingpassing devices, scan lists from agility agents, or geometric inference.

The spectrum analysis and data fusion engine 243 and the networkoptimization self-organization engine 244 facilitate dynamic spectrumoptimization with information from the agility agents and external datasources. Each of the agility agents connected to the cloud intelligenceengine 235 have scanned and analyzed the local spectrum and communicatedthat information to the cloud intelligence engine 235. The cloudintelligence engine 235 also knows the location of each agility agentand the access points proximate to the agility agents that do not have acontrolling agent as well as the channel on which each of those devicesis operating. With this information, the spectrum analysis and datafusion engine 243 and the network optimization self-organization engine244 can optimize the local spectrum by telling agility agents to avoidchannels subject to interference. The swarm communications manager 245manages communications between agility agents, access points, clientdevices, and other devices in the network. The cloud intelligence engineincludes a security manager 246. The control agents manager 247 managesall connected control agents.

Independent of a host access point 218, the agility agent 200, in therole of an autonomous DFS master device, may also provide the channelindication and channel selection control to one or more peer-to-peerclient devices 231, 232 within the coverage area by (a) signalingavailability of one or more DFS channels by simultaneous transmission ofone or more beacon signals; (b) transmitting a listing of both theauthorized available DFS channels, herein referred to as a whitelist andthe prohibited DFS channels in which a potential radar signal has beendetected, herein referred to as a blacklist along with control signalsand a time-stamp signal, herein referred to as a dead-man switch timervia an associated non-DFS channel; and (c) receiving control,coordination and authorized and preferred channel selection guidanceinformation from the cloud intelligence engine 235. The agility agent200 sends the time-stamp signal, or dead-man switch timer, withcommunications to ensure that the devices do not use the information,including the whitelist, beyond the useful lifetime of the information.For example, a whitelist will only be valid for certain period of time.The time-stamp signal avoids using noncompliant DFS channels by ensuringthat a device will not use the whitelist beyond its useful lifetime.

Such peer-to-peer devices may have a user control interface 228. Theuser control interface 228 includes a user interface 229 to allow theclient devices 231, 232 to interact with the agility agent 200 via thecloud intelligence engine 235. For example, the user interface 229allows the user to modify network settings via the agility agent 200including granting and revoking network access. The user controlinterface 228 also includes a security element 230 to ensure thatcommunications between the client devices 231, 232 and the agility agent200 are secure. The client devices 231, 232 are connected to a wide areanetwork 234 via a cellular network for example. Peer-to-peer wirelessnetworks are used for direct communication between devices without anaccess point. For example, video cameras may connect directly to acomputer to download video or images files using a peer-to-peer network.Also, device connections to external monitors and device connections todrones currently use peer-to-peer networks. Because there is no accesspoint in a peer-to-peer network, traditional peer-to-peer networkscannot use the DFS channels because there is no access point to controlthe DFS channel selection and tell the devices what DFS channels to use.The present invention overcomes this limitation.

FIG. 3 illustrates how the agility agent 200 acting as an autonomous DFSmaster in a peer-to-peer network 300 (a local area network for example)would interface to client devices 231, 232, 331 and the cloudintelligence engine 235 independent of any access point, in accordancewith the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the cloud intelligenceengine 235 may be connected to a plurality of network-connected agilityagents 200, 310. The agility agent 200 in the peer-to-peer network 300may connect to the cloud intelligence engine 235 through one of thenetwork-connected client devices 231, 331 by, for example, piggy-backinga message to the cloud intelligence engine 235 on a message send to theclient devices 231, 331 or otherwise coopting the client devices' 231,331 connection to the wide area network 234. In the peer-to-peer network300, the agility agent 200 sends over-the-air control signals 320 to theclient devices 231, 232, 331 including indications of channels free ofoccupying signals such as DFS channels free of radar signals.Alternatively, the agility agent communicates with just one clientdevice 331 which then acts as the group owner to initiate and controlthe peer-to-peer communications with other client devices 231, 232. Theclient devices 231, 232, 331 have peer-to-peer links 321 through whichthey communicate with each other.

The agility agent may operate in multiple modes executing a number ofDFS scan methods employing different algorithms. Two of these methodsare illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 illustrates a first DFS scan method 400 for a multi-channel DFSmaster of the present invention. This method uses a time divisionsequential CAC 401 followed by continuous ISM 402. The method begins atstep 403 with the multi-channel DFS master at startup or after a reset.At step 404 the embedded radio is set to receive (Rx) and is tuned tothe first DFS channel (C=1). In one example, the first channel ischannel 52. Next, because this is the first scan after startup or resetand the DFS master does not have information about channels free ofradar, the DFS master performs a continuous CAC 405 scan for a period of60 seconds (compliant with the FCC Part 15 Subpart E and ETSI 301 893requirements). At step 406 the DFS master determines if a radar patternis present in the current channel. If radar pattern is detected 407,then the DFS master marks this channel in the blacklist. The DFS mastermay also send additional information about the detected radar includingthe signal strength, radar pattern, type of radar, and a time stamp forthe detection.

At the first scan after startup or reset, if a radar pattern is detectedin the first channel scanned, the DFS master may repeat the above stepsuntil a channel free of radar signals is found. Alternatively, after astartup or reset, the DFS master may be provided a whitelist indicatingone or more channels that have been determined to be free of radarsignals. For example, the DFS master may receive a message that channel52 is free of radar signals from the cloud intelligence engine 235 alongwith information fused from other sources.

If at step 406 the DFS master does not detect a radar pattern 410, theDFS master marks this channel in the whitelist and switches the embeddedradio to transmit (Tx) (not shown in FIG. 4) at this channel. The DFSmaster may include additional information in the whitelist including atime stamp. The DFS master then transmits (not shown in FIG. 4) a DFSmaster beacon signal for minimum required period of n (which is theperiod of the beacon transmission defined by IEEE 802.11 requirements,usually very short on the order of a few microseconds). A common SSIDmay be used for all beacons of our system.

For the next channel scan after the DFS master finds a channel free ofradar, the DFS master sets the radio to receive and tunes the radio tothe next DFS channel 404 (for example channel 60). The DFS master thenperforms a non-continuous CAC radar detection scan 405 for period of X,which is the maximum period between beacons allowable for a clientdevice to remain associated with a network (P_(M)) less a period of nrequired for a quick radar scan and the transmission of the beaconitself (X=P_(M)−n) 408. At 411, the DFS master saves the state ofcurrent non-continuous channel state (S_(C)) from the non-continuous CACscan so that the DFS master can later resume the current non-continuouschannel scan at the point where the DFS master left off. Then, at step412, the DFS master switches the radio to transmit and tunes to thefirst DFS channel (in this example it was CH 52), performs quick receiveradar scan 413 (for a period of D called the dwell time) to detect radar414. If a radar pattern is detected, the DFS master marks the channel tothe blacklist 418. When marking the channel to the blacklist, the DFSmaster may also include additional information about the detected radarpattern including signal strength, type of radar, and a time stamp forthe detection. If no radar pattern is detected, the DFS master transmitsagain 415 the DFS master beacon for the first channel (channel 52 in theexample). Next, the DFS master determines if the current channel (C_(B))is the last channel in the whitelist (W_(L)) 416. In the currentexample, the current channel, channel 52, is the only channel in thewhitelist at this point. Then, the DFS master restores 417 the channelto the saved state from step 411 and switches the radio back to receivemode and tunes the radio back to the current non-continuous CAC DFSchannel (channel 60 in the example) 404. The DFS master then resumes thenon-continuous CAC radar scan 405 for period of X, again accommodatingthe period of n required for the quick scan and transmission of thebeacon. This is repeated until 60 seconds of non-continuous CAC scanningis accumulated 409—in which case the channel is marked in the whitelist410—or until a radar pattern is detected—in which case this channel ismarked in the blacklist 407.

Next, the DFS master repeats the procedure in the preceding paragraphfor the next DFS channel (for example channel 100). The DFS masterperiodically switches 412 to previous whitelisted DFS channels to do aquick scan 413 (for a period of D called the dwell time), and if noradar pattern detected, transmits a beacon 415 for period of n in eachof the previously CAC scanned and whitelisted DFS channels. Then the DFSmaster returns 404 to resume the non-continuous CAC scan 405 of thecurrent CAC channel (in this case CH 100). The period X available fornon-continuous CAC scanning before switching to transmit andsequentially beaconing the previously whitelisted CAC scanned channelsis reduced by n for each of the previously whitelisted CAC scannedchannels, roughly X=P_(M)−n*(W_(L)) where W_(L) is the number ofpreviously whitelisted CAC scanned channels. This is repeated until 60seconds of non-continuous CAC scanning is accumulated for the currentchannel 409. If no radar pattern is detected the channel is marked inthe whitelist 410. If a radar pattern is detected, the channel is markedin the blacklist 407 and the radio can immediately switch to the nextDFS channel to be CAC scanned.

The steps in the preceding paragraph are repeated for each new DFSchannel until all desired channels in the DFS band have been CACscanned. In FIG. 4, step 419 checks to see if the current channel C isthe last channel to be CAC scanned R. If the last channel to be CACscanned R has been reached, the DFS master signals 420 that the CACphase 401 is complete and begins the ISM phase 402. The whitelist andblacklist information may be communicated to the cloud intelligenceengine where it is integrated over time and fused with similarinformation from other agility agents.

During the ISM phase, the DFS master does not scan the channels in theblacklist 421. The DFS master switches 422 to the first channel in thewhitelist and transmits 423 a DFS beacon on that channel. Then the DFSmaster scans 424 the first channel in the whitelist for a period ofD_(ISM) (the ISM dwell time) 425, which may be roughly P_(M) (themaximum period between beacons allowable for a client device to remainassociated with a network) minus n times the number of whitelistedchannels, divided by the number of whitelisted channels(D_(ISM)=(P_(M)−n*W_(L))/n). Then the DFS master transmits 423 a beaconand scans 424 each of the channels in the whitelist for the dwell timeand then repeats starting at the first channel in the whitelist 422 in around robin fashion for each respective channel. If a radar pattern isdetected 426, the DFS master beacon for the respective channel isstopped 427, and the channel is marked in the blacklist 428 and removedfrom the whitelist (and no longer ISM scanned). The DFS master sendsalert messages 429, along with the new whitelist and blacklist to thecloud intelligence engine. Alert messages may also be sent to otheraccess points and/or client devices in the network.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second DFS scan method 500 for a multi-channel DFSmaster of the present invention. This method uses a continuoussequential CAC 501 followed by continuous ISM 502. The method begins atstep 503 with the multi-channel DFS master at startup or after a reset.At step 504 the embedded radio is set to receive (Rx) and is tuned tothe first DFS channel (C=1). In this example, the first channel ischannel 52. The DFS master performs a continuous CAC scan 505 for aperiod of 60 seconds 507 (compliant with the FCC Part 15 Subpart E andETSI 301 893 requirements). If radar pattern is detected at step 506then the DFS master marks this channel in the blacklist 508.

If the DFS master does not detect radar patterns, it marks this channelin the whitelist 509. The DFS master determines if the current channel Cis the last channel to be CAC scanned R at step 510. If not, then theDFS master tunes the receiver to the next DFS channel (for examplechannel 60) 504. Then the DFS master performs a continuous scan 505 forfull period of 60 seconds 507. If a radar pattern is detected, the DFSmaster marks the channel in the blacklist 508 and the radio canimmediately switch to the next DFS channel 504 and repeat the stepsafter step 504.

If no radar pattern is detected 509, the DFS master marks the channel inthe whitelist 509 and then tunes the receiver next DFS channel 504 andrepeats the subsequent steps until all DFS channels for which a CAC scanis desired. Unlike the method depicted in FIG. 4, no beacon istransmitted between CAC scans of sequential DFS channels during the CACscan phase.

The ISM phase 502 in FIG. 5 is identical to that in FIG. 4 describedabove.

FIG. 6A illustrates how multiple channels in the DFS channels of the 5GHz band are made simultaneously available by use of the invention. FIG.6A illustrates the process of FIG. 5 wherein the autonomous DFS Masterperforms the DFS scanning CAC phase 600 across multiple channels andupon completion of CAC phase, the autonomous DFS Master performs the ISMphase 601. During the ISM phase the DFS master transmits multiplebeacons to indicate the availability of multiple DFS channels to nearbyhost and non-host (ordinary) access points and client devices, inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6A shows the frequencies 602 and channels 603 that make up portionsof the DFS 5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum. U-NII-2A 606 covers the 5.25-5.35 GHzrange. U-NII-2C 607 covers the 5.47-5.725 GHz range. The first channelto undergo CAC scanning is shown at element 607. The subsequent CACscans of other channels are shown at elements 608. And the final CACscan before the ISM phase 601 is shown at element 609.

In the ISM phase 601, the DFS master switches to the first channel inthe whitelist. In the example in FIG. 6A, each channel 603 for which aCAC scan was performed was free of radar signals during the CAC scan andwas added to the whitelist. Then the DFS master transmits 610 a DFSbeacon on that channel. Then the DFS master scans 620 the first channelin the whitelist for the dwell time. Then the DFS master transmits 611 abeacon and scans 621 each of the other channels in the whitelist for thedwell time and then repeats starting 610 at the first channel in thewhitelist in a round robin fashion for each respective channel. If aradar pattern is detected, the DFS master beacon for the respectivechannel is stopped, and the channel is marked in the blacklist andremoved from the whitelist (and no longer ISM scanned).

FIG. 6A also shows an exemplary waveform 630 of the multiple beacontransmissions from the DFS master to indicate the availability of themultiple DFS channels to nearby host and non-host (ordinary) accesspoints and client devices.

FIG. 6B illustrates a beacon transmission duty cycle 650 and a radardetection duty cycle 651. In this example, channel A is the firstchannel in a channel whitelist. In FIG. 6B, a beacon transmission inchannel A 660 is followed by a quick scan of channel A 670. Next abeacon transmission in the second channel, channel B, 661 is followed bya quick scan of channel B 671. This sequence is repeated for channels C662, 672; D 663, 673; E 664, 674; F 665, 675; G 666, 676, and H 667,677. After the quick scan of channel H 677, the DFS master switches backto channel A and performs a second beacon transmission in channel A 660followed by a second quick scan of channel A 670. The time betweenstarting the first beacon transmission in channel A and starting thesecond beacon transmission in channel A is a beacon transmission dutycycle. The time between starting the first quick scan in channel A andstarting the second quick scan in channel A is a radar detection dutycycle. In order to maintain connection with devices on a network, thebeacon transmission duty cycle should be less than or equal to themaximum period between the beacons allowable for a client device toremain associated with the network.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a standalonemulti-channel DFS master that includes a beacon generator 212 togenerate a beacon in each of a plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, aradar detector 211 to scan for a radar signal in each of the pluralityof 5 GHz radio channels, a 5 GHz radio transceiver 215 to transmit thebeacon in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels and to receivethe radar signal in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, and afast channel switching generator 217 and embedded processor 203 coupledto the radar detector, the beacon generator, and the 5 GHz radiotransceiver. The fast channel switching generator 217 and embeddedprocessor 203 switch the 5 GHz radio transceiver 215 to a first channelof the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels and cause the beacon generator212 to generate the beacon in the first channel of the plurality of 5GHz radio channels. The fast channel switching generator 217 andembedded processor 203 also cause the radar detector 211 to scan for theradar signal in the first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radiochannels. The fast channel switching generator 217 and embeddedprocessor 203 then repeat these steps for each of the other channels ofthe plurality of 5 GHz radio channels. The fast channel switchinggenerator 217 and embedded processor 203 perform all of the steps forall of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels during a beacontransmission duty cycle which is a time between successive beacontransmissions on a specific channel and, in some embodiments, a radardetection duty cycle which is a time between successive scans on thespecific channel.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the present invention includessystems and methods for selecting available channels free of occupyingsignals from a plurality of radio frequency channels. The systemincludes an agility agent 700 functioning as an autonomous frequencyselection master that has both an embedded radio receiver 702 to detectthe occupying signals in each of the plurality of radio frequencychannels and an embedded radio transmitter 703 to transmit an indicationof the available channels and an indication of unavailable channels notfree of the occupying signals. The agility agent 700 is programmed toconnect to a host device 701 and control a selection of an operatingchannel selection of the host device by transmitting the indication ofthe available channels and the indication of the unavailable channels tothe host device. The host device 701 communicates wirelessly with clientdevices 720 and acts as a gateway for client devices to a network 710such as the Internet, other wide area network, or local area network.The host device 701, under the control of the agility agent 700, tellsthe client devices 720 which channel or channels to use for wirelesscommunication. Additionally, the agility agent 700 may be programmed totransmit the indication of the available channels and the indication ofthe unavailable channels directly to client devices 720.

The agility agent 700 may operate in the 5 GHz band and the plurality ofradio frequency channels may be in the 5 GHz band and the occupyingsignals are radar signals. The host device 701 may be a Wi-Fi accesspoint or an LTE-U host device.

Further, the agility agent 700 may also be programmed to transmit theindication of the available channels by simultaneously transmittingmultiple beacon signals. And the agility agent 700 may be programmed totransmit the indication of the available channels by transmitting achannel whitelist of the available channels and to transmit theindication of the unavailable channels by transmitting a channelblacklist of the unavailable channels. In addition to saving the channelin the channel blacklist, the agility agent 700 may also be programmedto determine and save in the channel blacklist information about thedetected occupying signals including signal strength, traffic, and typeof the occupying signals.

As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the agility agent 700 isconnected to a cloud-based intelligence engine 855. The agility agent700 may connect to the cloud intelligence engine 855 directly or throughthe host device 701 and network 710. The cloud intelligence engine 855integrates time distributed information from the agility agent 700 andcombines information from a plurality of other agility agents 850distributed in space and connected to the cloud intelligence engine 855.The agility agent 700 is programmed to receive control and coordinationsignals and authorized and preferred channel selection guidanceinformation from the cloud intelligence engine 755.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the present invention includes asystem and method for selecting available channels free of occupyingsignals from a plurality of radio frequency channels in which an agilityagent 700 functioning as an autonomous frequency selection masterincludes an embedded radio receiver 702 to detect the occupying signalsin each of the plurality of radio frequency channels and an embeddedradio transmitter 703 to indicate the available channels and unavailablechannels not free of the occupying signals. The agility agent 700contains a channel whitelist 910 of one or more channels scanned anddetermined not to contain an occupying signal. The agility agent 700 mayreceive the whitelist 910 from another device including a cloudintelligence engine 855. Or the agility agent 700 may have previouslyderived the whitelist 910 through a continuous CAC for one or morechannels. In this embodiment, the agility agent 700 is programmed tocause the embedded radio receiver 702 to scan each of the plurality ofradio frequency channels non-continuously interspersed with periodicswitching to the channels in the channel whitelist 910 to perform aquick occupying signal scan in each channel in the channel whitelist910. The agility agent 700 is further programmed to cause the embeddedradio transmitter 703 to transmit a first beacon transmission in eachchannel in the channel whitelist 910 during the quick occupying signalscan and to track in the channel whitelist 910 the channels scanned anddetermined not to contain the occupying signal during the non-continuousscan and the quick occupying signal scan. The agility agent 700 is alsoprogrammed to track in a channel blacklist 915 the channels scanned anddetermined to contain the occupying signal during the non-continuousscan and the quick occupying signal scan and then to perform in-servicemonitoring for the occupying signal, including transmitting a secondbeacon for each of the channels in the channel whitelist 910,continuously and sequentially.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method 1000 according to the presentinvention for selecting an operating channel from a plurality of radiofrequency channels in an agility agent functioning as an autonomousfrequency selection master. The method includes receiving a channelwhitelist of one or more channels scanned and determined not to containan occupying signal 1010. Next, the agility agent performs a channelavailability check 1005 for the plurality of radio frequency channels ina time-division manner. The time-division channel availability checkincludes scanning 1010 with an embedded radio receiver in the agilityagent each of the plurality of radio frequency channels non-continuouslyinterspersed with periodic switching to the channels in the channelwhitelist to perform a quick occupying signal scan and transmitting 1020a first beacon with an embedded radio transmitter in the agility agentin each channel in the channel whitelist during the quick occupyingsignal scan. The agility agent also tracks 1030 in the channel whitelistthe channels scanned in step 1010 and determined not to contain theoccupying signal and tracks 1040 in a channel blacklist the channelsscanned in step 1010 and determined to contain the occupying signal.Finally, the agility agent performs in-service monitoring for theoccupying signal and a second beaconing transmission for each of thechannels in the channel whitelist continuously and sequentially 1050.

FIG. 11 illustrates another exemplary method 1100 for selecting anoperating channel from a plurality of radio frequency channels in anagility agent functioning as an autonomous frequency selection master.The method 1100 includes performing a channel availability check foreach of the plurality of radio frequency channels by scanning 1101 withan embedded radio receiver in the agility agent each of the plurality ofradio frequency channels continuously for a scan period. The agilityagent then tracks 1110 in a channel whitelist the channels scanned anddetermined not to contain an occupying signal and tracks 1120 in achannel blacklist the channels scanned and determined to contain theoccupying signal. Then the agility agent performs in-service monitoringfor the occupying signal and transmits a beacon with an embedded radiotransmitter in the agility agent for each of the channels in the channelwhitelist continuously and sequentially 1130.

FIG. 12 illustrates a further exemplary method 1200 for selecting anoperating channel from a plurality of radio frequency channels in anagility agent functioning as an autonomous frequency selection master.The method 1200 includes performing a channel availability check 1210for each of the plurality of radio frequency channels and performingin-service monitoring and beaconing 1250 for each of the plurality ofradio frequency channels. The channel availability check 1210 includestuning an embedded radio receiver in the autonomous frequency selectionmaster device to one of the plurality of radio frequency channels andinitiating a continuous channel availability scan in the one of theplurality of radio frequency channels with the embedded radio receiver1211. Next, the channel availability check 1210 includes determining ifan occupying signal is present in the one of the plurality of radiofrequency channels during the continuous channel availability scan 1212.If the occupying signal is present in the one of the plurality of radiofrequency channels during the continuous channel availability scan, thechannel availability check 1210 includes adding the one of the pluralityof radio frequency channels to a channel blacklist and ending thecontinuous channel availability scan 1213. If the occupying signal isnot present in the one of the plurality of radio frequency channelsduring the continuous channel availability scan during a first scanperiod, the channel availability check 1210 includes adding the one ofthe plurality of radio frequency channels to a channel whitelist andending the continuous channel availability scan 1214. Next, the channelavailability check 1210 includes repeating steps 1211 and 1212 andeither 1213 or 1214 for each of the plurality of radio frequencychannels.

The in-service monitoring and beaconing 1250 for each of the pluralityof radio frequency channels includes determining if the one of theplurality of radio frequency channels is in the channel whitelist and ifso, tuning the embedded radio receiver in the autonomous frequencyselection master device to the one of the plurality of radio frequencychannels and transmitting a beacon in the one of the plurality of radiofrequency channels with an embedded radio transmitter in the autonomousfrequency selection master device 1251. Next, the in-service monitoringand beaconing 1250 includes initiating a discrete channel availabilityscan (a quick scan as described previously) in the one of the pluralityof radio frequency channels with the embedded radio receiver 1252. Next,the in-service monitoring and beaconing 1250 includes determining if theoccupying signal is present in the one of the plurality of radiofrequency channels during the discrete channel availability scan 1253.If the occupying signal is present, the in-service monitoring andbeaconing 1250 includes stopping transmission of the beacon, removingthe one of the plurality of radio frequency channels from the channelwhitelist, adding the one of the plurality of radio frequency channelsto the channel blacklist, and ending the discrete channel availabilityscan 1254. If the occupying signal is not present in the one of theplurality of radio frequency channels during the discrete channelavailability scan for a second scan period, the in-service monitoringand beaconing 1250 includes ending the discrete channel availabilityscan 1255. Thereafter, the in-service monitoring and beaconing 1250includes repeating steps 1251, 1252, and 1253 as well as either 1254 or1255 for each of the plurality of radio frequency channels.

In the present specification, the term “or” is intended to mean aninclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specifiedotherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to meanany of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; Xemploys B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” issatisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a”and “an” as used in this specification and annexed drawings shouldgenerally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

In addition, the terms “example” and “such as” are utilized herein tomean serving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or designdescribed herein as an “example” or referred to in connection with a“such as” clause is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the terms“example” or “such as” is intended to present concepts in a concretefashion. The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used inthe claims and description, unless otherwise clear by context, is forclarity only and does not necessarily indicate or imply any order intime.

What has been described above includes examples of one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. It is, of course, not possible todescribe every conceivable combination of components or methodologiesfor purposes of describing these examples, and it can be recognized thatmany further combinations and permutations of the present embodimentsare possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/or claimedherein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications andvariations that fall within the spirit and scope of the detaileddescription and the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that theterm “includes” is used in either the detailed description or theclaims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to theterm “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as atransitional word in a claim.

1. A standalone multi-channel Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) masterfor identifying and indicating simultaneous availability of a pluralityof 5 GHz radio channels for networking operations, comprising: a beacongenerator programmed to generate successive beacons in each of theplurality of 5 GHz radio channels; a radar detector programmed tocontinuously scan for radar in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radiochannels; a 5 GHz radio transceiver coupled to the beacon generator andthe radar detector and programmed to transmit the beacons in each of theplurality of 5 GHz radio channels and to receive the radar in each ofthe plurality of 5 GHz radio channels; and a switch and an embeddedprocessor coupled to the radar detector, the beacon generator, and the 5GHz radio transceiver, programmed to perform the following steps on eachof the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels sequentially, andsimultaneously with and independently of networking operations performedby an access point host or a LTE-U host associated with the DFS master:(a) switch the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a channel of the plurality of5 GHz radio channels; (b) next, cause the beacon generator to generate abeacon and cause the transceiver to broadcast the beacon in the channel,wherein the beacon indicates that the channel is available fornetworking operations; and (c) determine if the channel is occupied byradar and identify the channel as one of available for networkingoperations or unavailable for networking operations in response to thedetermination.
 2. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 1further comprising memory to store a whitelist of each of the pluralityof 5 GHz radio channels that does not contain the radar and a blacklistof each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels that contains theradar.
 3. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 2 furthercomprising a wired network interface connected to an access point hostor a LTE-U host wherein the standalone multi-channel DFS master isprogrammed to communicate the whitelist and blacklist to a cloudintelligence engine via the access point host or the LTE-U host, receivecontrol information from the cloud intelligence engine via the accesspoint host or the LTE-U host, and to transmit the control information tothe access point host or the LTE-U host.
 4. The standalone multi-channelDFS master of claim 3 wherein the control information transmitted to theaccess point host or the LTE-U host controls an operating channelselection of the access point host or the LTE-U host.
 5. The standalonemulti-channel DFS master of claim 2 further comprising a non-DFS radiotransceiver wherein the standalone multi-channel DFS master isprogrammed to communicate the whitelist and blacklist with the non-DFSradio transceiver.
 6. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 5wherein the non-DFS radio transceiver is selected from the groupconsisting of a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, andan 802.15.4 transceiver.
 7. A standalone multi-channel Dynamic FrequencySelection (DFS) master for selecting multiple 5 GHz radio channels forsimultaneously performing networking operations comprising: a memorycontaining a whitelist of 5 GHz radio channels; a 5 GHz radiotransceiver; a switch and an embedded processor coupled to the 5 GHzradio transceiver and the memory; wherein the switch and the embeddedprocessor are programmed to: first, when a network device associatedwith the DFS master is not performing networking operations, cause the 5GHz radio transceiver to sequentially perform radar scans for thechannel in the whitelist and identify an available channel forperforming networking operations determined not to contain radar, andtransmit a beacon in the available channel; and second, when the networkdevice is performing networking operations, cause the 5 GHz radiotransceiver to sequentially and repeatedly scan for radar in eachchannel in the whitelist, to cause the 5 GHz radio transceiver totransmit a successive beacons for each channel determined not to containradar.
 8. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 7 furthercomprising the switch and the embedded processor are programmed to causethe 5 GHz radio transceiver to perform the following steps: (a) when thenetwork device is not performing networking operations, identifying afirst channel of the 5 GHz radio channels that does not contain radarand commencing networking operations in the first channel; and (b) next,when the first channel is performing networking operations, continuouslyand sequentially scanning a second channel and a third channel for radarand commencing networking operations in the second and third channelsupon determining that the second and third channels do not containradar.
 9. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 7 furthercomprising the switch and the embedded processor are programmed to causethe 5 GHz radio transceiver to perform the following steps on each ofthe plurality of 5 GHz radio channels sequentially, and simultaneouslywith and independently of networking operations performed by the networkdevice: (a) first, when the network device is performing networkingoperations, switching the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a channel in thewhitelist; (b) next, causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to transmit abeacon in the channel, wherein the beacon indicates that the channel isavailable for networking operations; and (c) next, determine if thechannel contains radar and identify the channel as one of available fornetworking operations or unavailable for networking operations inresponse to the determination.
 10. A method of selecting andsimultaneously using 5 GHz radio channels that are available fornetworking operations comprising: providing a beacon generator togenerate successive beacons in each of a plurality of 5 GHz radiochannels, providing a radar detector to continuously scan for radar ineach of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, providing a 5 GHz radiotransceiver to transmit the beacons in each of the plurality of 5 GHzradio channels and to receive the radar in each of the plurality of 5GHz radio channels, and providing a switch and embedded processorcoupled to the radar detector, the beacon generator, and the 5 GHz radiotransceiver; with the switch and the embedded processor performing thefollowing steps on each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channelssequentially, and simultaneously with and independently of networkingoperations performed by an access point host or a LTE-U host associatedwith the DFS channels: (a) switching the 5 GHz radio transceiver to afirst channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels; (b) next,causing the beacon generator to generate a beacon and the transceiver tobroadcast the beacon in the channel, wherein the beacon indicates thatthe channel is available for networking operations; and (c) next,determine if the channel is occupied by radar and identify the channelas one of available for networking operations or unavailable fornetworking operations in response to the determination.
 11. The methodof claim 10 further comprising providing a memory and storing in thememory a whitelist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels thatdoes not contain the radar and a blacklist of each of the plurality of 5GHz radio channels that contains the radar.
 12. The method of claim 11further comprising providing a wired network interface connected to anaccess point host or a LTE-U host and communicating via the wirednetwork interface the whitelist and blacklist to a cloud intelligenceengine via the access point host or the LTE-U host, receiving controlinformation from the cloud intelligence engine via the access point hostor the LTE-U host, and to transmitting the control information to theaccess point host or the LTE-U host.
 13. The method of claim 11 furthercomprising providing a non-DFS radio transceiver and communicating thewhitelist and blacklist with the non-DFS radio transceiver.
 14. Themethod of claim 13 wherein the non-DFS radio transceiver is selectedfrom the group consisting of a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver, a Bluetoothtransceiver, and an 802.15.4 transceiver.
 15. A method for continuouslymonitoring and simultaneously using 5 GHz radio channels for networkingoperations comprising: providing a memory containing a whitelist of aplurality of 5 GHz radio channels, providing a 5 GHz radio transceiver,providing a switch and an embedded processor coupled to the 5 GHz radiotransceiver and the memory; the switch and the embedded processor:first, when none of the channels in the whitelist are performingnetworking operations, causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to scan eachof the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels for radar, identify anavailable channel for performing networking operations determined not tocontain radar, and cause a beacon transmission in the available channel;and next, performing with the 5 GHz radio transceiver, when one or morechannels in the whitelist are performing networking operations,continuous and sequential scanning for radar in each channel in thewhitelist, and causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to transmitsuccessive beacons for each channel determined not to contain radar. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein identifying the available channelcomprising: (a) first, switching the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a firstchannel in the channel whitelist; and (b) next, causing the 5 GHz radiotransceiver to scan for radar in the first channel and one ofidentifying the first channel as the available channel or switching the5 GHz transceiver to a second channel.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein continuous and sequential scanning for radar includes scanning achannel that is performing network operations and scanning a channelthat was previously determined to contain radar.
 18. The method of claim15 further comprising providing a memory and storing in the memory awhitelist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels determined tonot contain the radar and a blacklist of each of the plurality of 5 GHzradio channels determined to contain the radar.
 19. The method of claim18 further comprising providing a wired network interface connected toan access point host or a LTE-U host and communicating via the wirednetwork interface the whitelist and blacklist to a cloud intelligenceengine via the access point host or a LTE-U host, receiving controlinformation from the cloud intelligence engine via the access point hostor a LTE-U host, and to transmitting the control information to theaccess point host or a LTE-U host.
 20. The method of claim 18 furthercomprising providing a non-DFS radio transceiver and communicating thewhitelist and blacklist with the non-DFS radio transceiver, wherein thenon-DFS radio transceiver is selected from the group consisting of a 2.4GHz radio transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and an 802.15.4transceiver.